Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-09-23
-RLACkBEARp = ritz PIRATE

BLACkBEARD,. TiIE PIRATE.
Story of Ranting. Raging, Roaring Sea
Robber.
Harper Magazine.
In Blackboard" we have a resi-, rantinp
raging, roaring pirate per se-ene who
really did bury treasure, who made more
than one captain walk the plank and who
committed more private murders than he
could number on the fingers of both
hands. one who fills snd will continue
to fill the place, TO which he has been
assigned for generations, and who may
be depended upon to hold his place in
the confidence of others for generations
to come. Captain Teach was q Bristol
man born, and learned his trade oR board
of sundry privateers in the East Indies
during the cid French War-that of 17oa
and better apprenticeship could no
man serve. At last, somewhere about the
latter part of tbs year 1719, priva.eer-
ing captain, one Benjamin Hornigold,
raised him from the ranks and pu. him
in command of sloop-a lately captur-
ed prize-and Blackbeard's fortune was
made. 1t was very slight step, and but
the change of 8 few letters, to convert
privateer into pirate, and it was a very
short time before Teach made that
change. Not only did he make it him
self, but he persuaded his old captain to
join with him. And now fairly began
that series of bold AMI lawless depreda-
tions, which have made his name so Justly
famous, and which placed him among
the very greatest of NARROWING free
hooters.
sour hero" says the old historian who
sings of the arms and bravery of this
great man-"Our hero assumed the cog
pomen of Blackboard from that large
quantity of hair which, like frightful
meteor, covered his whole face and fright
ened America more than any comet that
appeared there in a long time. He was
accustomed to twist it with ribbons into
small tails, after the manner of our Ra-
millies wig, and turn them about his ears.
In time of action he wore a sling over
his shoulders, with three brace of pistols
hanging in holsters like bandoleers; he
stuck lighted matches under his hat,
which, appearing on each side of his face
and his eyes naturally looking fierce and
wild, made him altogether such a figure
that imagination cau not form an idea
of a Fury from hell to look more fright
full
The night before the day of tn e action
in which he was killed he sat up drink
ing with some congenial company until
broad daylight. One of them asked him
if his poor young wife knew where his
treasure was hidden.
No." says blackboard, nobody but
the divil and l knows where it is, and the
longent liver shall have ALL"
III I'D or his
trade down on the Spanish Main, gather
ing, in the few years he was there, very
neat little fortune in the booty captured
from suudry vessels; but by and by he
took it into his head to try his luck
among the coast of the Carslinas; so off
he sailed to the northward with quite a
respectable little fleet, consisting of his
own vessel and two captured sloops.
From that time he was actively engaged
in the making of American his
tory in his small way. He first appeared
off the bar of Charleston harbor, to the
no small excitement of the worthy town
of that ilk, and there he lay for five or
six days, blockadipg the port and stop
ping incoming and outgoing vessels at
his pleasure, so that, for the time, the
commerce of the sells so stopped he held
Dis pIlLSS. anu GIL WIG SAS"c aANA P"SSNA
gers (among the latter of whom was more
than one provincial worthy of the day.
he retained as though they were prison
ers of war. And it was nightly awk-
ward thing for the good of Charleston
to behold day after day black flag, with
It's white skull and crossbones, tiuttering
at the fore of the pirate captains craft,
over across the level stretch of green
w Los c
ant, too, to know that prominent citizen
was crowded down with the other prison
ers under the matches. Becoming tired
of an inactive life, Blackboard afterward
resumed his pirctical career. He cruised
around in the rivers and inlets and sounds
of North Carolina for while, ruling the
roost, and with never one to say him
nav, until there was no bearing with
such pest any longer. So they sent a
deputatlon up to the Governor OF Vir-
ginia, asking if he would be pleased to
help them in their tronble. There were
two men -of-war lying at Kicqueton, in
the James River, at the time. To them
the Governor OF Virginia applied, and
plucky Lieut.. Maynard, of the Pearl,
| was sent to Ocracoke Inlet to fight this
| pirate who ruled it down there so like
| the cock of walk. There be found
Blackboard waiting for him, as ready for
| a fight as ever the Lieutenant himself
could be. Fight they did, and while it
was as pretty piece of business of its
| kind as one could wish to see. Black
beard drained glas of grog, wishing the
Lieutenant luck in getting aboard of him
| fired broadside, blew some twenty of the
Lieutenant's men out Of existence, and
totally crippled one of his little sioops
| for the remainder of the fight. After
that and under cover OF the smoke the
| pirate and his men boarded the other
| sloop, and then followed a fine old-fash-
| toned hand-to- hand conflict betwixt him
and the Lieutenant. First they fired their
| pistols, and then they took to it with cut
| lasses-right, left, up and down, cut and
! slash-until the Lieutenants cutlass
broke short off at the hilt. Then Black
beard would have finished him off hand
somely, only up steps one of the Lieuten
ants men and fetches him a great slash
over the neck, so that the Lieutenant
came off with no more hurt than a cut
across the knuckles.
At the very first discharge of their
pistols Blackb beard had been shot through
the body, but he was not for giving up
for that-not he. AS said before, he was
of the true, rearing, raging breed of
pirates, and stood up to it until he re-
ceiyed twenty more outlass cuts and five
additional shots, and then fell dead while
trying to fire an empty pistol. After
that the Lieutenat cut off the pirates
head and sailed away in triumph with the
bloody trophy to the bow of his battered
ship.
The Honesty of Women.